. . . Drug supply improves

THE supply of essential drugs to referral health institutions has improved following procurement done through a ringfenced fund collected from airtime levy, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has said.

Speaking after touring Natpharm, the State-controlled pharmaceutical distribution company, in Harare recently, Dr Parirenyatwa said Government had so far received $18 million from airtime tax.

“As you can see now, we have got the Health Fund that we get from your cellphones. Each time you make a call, we are getting five cents out of every dollar and that’s the money that has accumulated to the tune of $18 million since it started,” he said.

“That is the money that we are using outside the drugs that are brought by donors and we are pleased that Natpharm, which is our warehouse for all drugs, is fully-stocked and we hope this continues and spills over to where the drugs should be used.

“We do not want these drugs to stay here; this is just a warehouse. We want the drugs to go to where they should be used — to the hospitals and to the clinics.”

Dr Parirenyatwa said ARV stock-outs were now a thing of the past and the new ARV, E400, was now available locally.

“We are happy that we have got those stocks here,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has implored Government to take advantage of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement to increase access to medicines.

ZLHR head of AIDS and law unit Mr Tinashe Mundawarara said property rights to medicines limited accessibilit.

He said the TRIPS agreement had flexibilities aimed at making medicines affordable and accessible.